Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
Pigs, The Prodigal and Hunger – Hunger Series – Part 3
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In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), a young man (the youngest brother) decided that he wanted access to his inheritance early. He risked shaming his father and family by asking for it, yet he did anyway. The father surprisingly agreed. I’m not sure anyone knew why, but the father spent time, made arrangements, and settled up so that he could give his son what he asked for. And he did.
The son set off on his own, the world his oyster and his father’s money his benefactor. He wanted for nothing, least of all drink and food and companionship. But eventually, the money ran out. He couldn’t afford his lifestyle any longer. He looked for work, but couldn’t find any. He looked for his friends, but couldn’t find them either. No one would feed him. No one would take him in.
He became destitute. Homeless in a foreign land.
Eventually, a pig farmer took an ounce of pity on him. Who knows how many people he asked for employment or mercy before this man answered his plea, but finally the prodigal son had some reprieve in the form of feeding pigs, and sharing their meal. An existence not quite fit for his humanity.
In his depression and sorrow, perhaps in the twilight hours when all was dark, and the pigs had had their fill, he thought of home. Would it have been the memories of his childhood or his departure or a mixture of it all that took up space in his imagination? He longed to be out of the dirt. He craved real food, not the mud and slops he sipped on with his animal friends. He yearned for warmth and shelter, a real bed to sleep in and a chair to sit on. And after a time, the ache grew deep and wide and overwhelming and compelled him to leave the pigs, their food, and owner.
His hunger drove him home.
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I wonder what the son would have done if his father and older brother had died in his absence? If he had nowhere safe to return to, no house to come home to.
I wonder what the world would look like if every hungry person had a safe place they could run to, be welcomed in; fed, clothed, and homed.
Go to Part 4 – Pursuit of Truth and Beauty »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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